Forever Love
by bookgirl77
Summary: As the cab pulls away leaving Mick behind Beth reflect back on not only the last few days, but also on how her life has changed since she & Mick became friends. As she heads back to L.A. Beth makes some decisions that will change her life even more and s
1. Chapter 1 Leaving New York

Leaving New York

As the cab pulled away Beth felt the tears trail down her cheeks. She hated seeing the hurt and disappointment on Mick's face, but she hated herself even more for having put it there!

He had seemed so _alive _as they had left Josef. Almost like a little boy who had just been given a new toy. She knew that Mick felt relieved to find that his best friend, Josef, had actually fallen in love once… and with a mortal no less. To Mick that was a gift, it was as if Josef had given his approval of the feelings she and Mick had for each other, the feelings that neither of them had yet been brave enough to admit, but that everyone else seemed to know was there.

She knew she had crushed that happiness with the mention of Josh. She really should have just told Mick that she needed some time to think, but no, she had to bring up her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. Mick had been the gentleman, all understanding and gallant, telling her that it was fine and all that, but she had seen his hopes fall. She knew that she had broken his heart and that killed her! When she had touched his hand through the cab's window just before it drove away she could feel the connection, the pure electricity between them, she had come very close to jumping out of the cab and kissing Mick right there, but she didn't. She still needed time to sort things out and she knew that jumping into things with Mick before she had things in order would only hurt them both in the long run.

So much had happened over the past few days. She had stabbed Coraline, Mick's used to be vampire, ex-wife… who was now very much human… Josef had been murdered and she and Mick had gotten into an argument about her doing the story on the explosion that had caused his death… she had felt terrible about those events immediately and had went to Mick's apartment to make things right with him, he had found her sitting in the floor outside his door. They had both apologized and Mick had broken down and leaned on her for support… it felt so good to have him trust her so much. After this little incident, they had both needed a drink, so they had headed into Mick's apartment only to find Josef, very much alive and sitting at Mick's desk… they were both shocked! The 3 of them had began working immediately to find out who would want Josef dead, this had lead them to New York and to Sara. Sara, who Josef had fallen in love with and who he had tried to turn… but something had went wrong and she was in a forever coma. Josef's love for her hadn't dimmed in the 55 years since it had happened, you could hear the love in his voice when he was telling them about her, you could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. Yet Josef lived his life as a playboy of sorts… Beth now knew that this was just a cover-up for the pain. Her respect for Josef had grown immensely that day, she had seen a man who had seemed to be so heartless become a man with a heart as big as the universe… he truly loved Sara and he had cared for her all these years, hoping against hope for a cure of some sort, so that they could be together forever. Beth believed that if a cure was out there for Sara, Josef would keep on until he found it.

What had bothered Beth more than anything wasn't the fact that Sara seemed to be in a coma that she would never come out of, but it was the pain she had seen on Josef's face. She had no doubts that he loved Sara, nor did she think he regretted all the years he had taken care of her, but the hurt on his face as he saw his love lying there because of something he had done to her was heart wrenching.

As she headed into the hotel to gather her things, her mind traveled back to earlier that day as she had sat on a New York park bench with Mick and read Sara's diary aloud as he had listened.

Beth had seen herself in Sara; she had loved Josef unconditionally. She didn't care what he was or that he drank blood to stay alive, no, all she cared about was the fact that he loved her and she loved him, and she wanted to be with him forever. As she had read Sara's words Beth felt she was speaking the desires of her own heart. It was as if Sara had written what Beth had been thinking and feeling over the past month. As Beth read Sara's last diary entry to Mick she had been shaken because as she read aloud the three little words that she later learned had changed Sara's fate, she read them as if she were telling Mick herself, "I am ready." As she looked up, Mick had been looking at her, but he quickly turned away… it was almost like he knew her thoughts, that she was thinking how much she wanted him to know that she was ready to be turned, but he wouldn't look her in the eye, it would have bared each of their souls too much!

When they had tracked down Josef and seen Sara lying there Beth had been stunned. She knew it had affected Mick also, maybe more so than her. He was not only shocked by the fact that Sara was there, in a coma, but he seemed more stunned by the simple fact that Josef had loved so deeply and he had never known.

Still thinking over the day's events, Beth headed out to catch a cab to the airport. On the ride her mind wandered to Mick. She wondered if he had went on to see the sites of New York without her or if maybe he had went back to talk to Josef. She wasn't sure, but it saddened her to think of Mick there alone when she could have been with him.

She moved through the airport still thinking of Mick, of his warm smile, the sadness she had put in his eyes and how she had known from their first meeting… or really it was their second since he had saved her as a child… that he was a very special man.

So much had happened, she had felt that she and Mick were growing closer until Coraline had come back into the picture; Mick had been different since then, especially since she had stabbed her. She didn't know how Coraline's reappearance was going to figure into their relationship, but she felt that she & Mick were still closer than ever… that was up until she had brought up Josh and drove off in the cab without him!

She felt sure Mick didn't love Coraline as he once had, yet she had been his wife, so they were connected to some point. Josef had said that if Coraline was back she was back for Mick. Maybe she had noticed that Mick was finally happy because he was spending time with Beth and that's why she had decided to come back and try to lay claim on him again. However, Mick's interest in Coraline seemed to be more for the cure she seemed to have found for vampirism than it was in Coraline herself. Either way, Beth was not going to let her hurt Mick again… and she was going to pay for what she had done to her as a child!

Of course, Beth had her own baggage to take care of in Josh. Their conversation before she had left for New York had not been good and she knew she needed to officially end things with him. As she found her seat on the plane she vowed that that would be her first order of business when she landed in L.A. She wanted to take care of that unfinished business so that she would be ready to talk to Mick when he returned. She wanted him to know that she loved him and that, like Sara had told Josef, she wanted to be like him so that she could spend forever with him.

Beth smiled to herself as the thought of _Forever _with Mick crossed her mind. She would gladly give everything she had to feel his embrace for just a day, but to have _forever_ with him would be a dream come true! She intended to keep on pushing until Mick saw things her way… he would eventually give in to her.

Just as soon as she saw Josh and broke up with him she was going to Mick's apartment to wait for him to return from New York. She would camp out in front of his door so that she would be there when he walked in if she had to. And if Coraline tried to stop her or to keep them apart she would regret it! She would fight for Mick, it didn't matter whether she was human or vampire, if Coraline tried to get in the way of her being with Mick she would kill her, whatever it took! She would fight for the man she loved… she didn't care what he was, she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone and they would be together, that was the vow she made to herself… and to Mick!


	2. Chapter 2 Watching Her Go

Watching Her Go

As the cab pulled away Mick began to walk. He had no idea where he was going. The thought of being in New York seeing the sites lost all of it's appeal as Beth stepped into the cab.

Mick knew she was doing the right thing. She had a perfectly good boyfriend back in L.A. and because of him she was very close to losing Josh. She needed to get back so that she could fix things with him.

She was happy with Josh, it was time Mick realized this and moved on with his life. It was time for him to give up his "Happily Ever After" dreams of being with Beth. After all, he knew monsters like himself didn't get "Happily Every After". He and Beth would only ever be friends.

As he walked down the New York sidewalks he thought about all that had happened since Beth found him that night in his apartment drinking blood. That was the worst night of his life, when she had seen him so vulnerable and weak, with all is animal tendencies out in the open for her to see. Yet being the wonderful person she was she was not afraid of him… she continued to push him to let her be a friend. Now he realized that next to Josef she was the best friend he'd ever had or ever would have. She knew what he was and yet she still wanted to stay close to him. He was thankful for that.

He would always treasure her as a friend and as of late he had started thinking that maybe, just maybe there could be something more between them. However, after tonight he knew that would never be. He would continue to be her friend, but nothing more could ever become of it, she loved Josh and he would accept that and be happy for her.

He would forever remember the feel of Beth's embrace, the taste of her sweet blood as she forced him to drink from her to save his own life in the desert, the touch of her soft sweet lips as she surprised him with those first two kisses in the Buzzwire parking lot. He smiled to himself as he lingered on that particular memory for a bit. Then his mind wondered to the shower and how soft she felt that night as he held her under the water trying to get rid of the effects of the Black Crystal she had taken… "for research" she had said… he smiled, Beth and her research always got her into trouble! He fought himself harder that night than he ever had before as she moved against him begging him to turn her and more… that memory would always be with him. He was glad he hadn't taken advantage of her, he would never have forgiven himself if he had, Beth was precious to him; he could never take her against her will.

His mind then wondered to a few weeks later when she had stayed with Audrey at his apartment while he tracked the evil newbie. He should have known Beth would eventually wonder into his office, she was a reporter, that's what she did was snoop. One of their first few meetings had been a "breaking & entering" gig. Still he was surprised when she confronted him with her file in hand and told him that she knew. He was shocked even more when she wasn't angry with him. He thought of himself as a horrible stalker and she told him he was her "Guardian Angel". He still laughed at how wrong that statement was, he was definitely no angel. He had saved her, yes, but he had killed his ex-wife that night, or so he thought. He then proceeded to watch Beth as she grew into the wonderful woman she was today. In his mind that had "STALKER" written all over it, but Beth insisted he was her Angel and looking into her eyes that night as she softly placed another kiss on his cheek, he almost believed her.

As he continued to walk he thought of earlier today, as Beth was reading Sara's diary. It was as if she were speaking from her own heart. He had looked away from her. He couldn't bear to think of _his_ Beth wanting to become a Monster like him. That was something he could never do, his heart wouldn't let him hurt her like that! To take everything away from her when she was so happy with life, no, she was much better off with Josh and with Mick taking a back seat in their friendship.

All of these moments he was thankful for, he would remember them forever, but after tonight he would lock the feelings he had for Beth away and he would be happy and satisfied with her friendship. That is what he would treasure for eternity… that and her trust. He trusted Beth with his life and he would always be thankful for the chance to know her as a friend!

He made the decision to stay in New York for a couple of extra days to give her time to patch things up with Josh without him around. He thought that might be easier for her. He knew Josh despised him and he understood why. When he returned to L.A. he would make sure Josh knew that he and Beth were only friends, nothing more and that he wanted things to work with Beth & Josh, because he wanted his friend to be happy. That was the right thing to do and he would do it for Beth's sake.

He would return to L.A. and wait for Beth to contact him with a case or some story she needed his "expertise" on, but he would not contact her. He would give her space to reconnect with Josh and he wouldn't push her for anything more than she wanted.

At some point in the future Beth would most likely marry Josh and they would one day have a family, something Mick could never give her. He would watch her live her life as she should with a man who loved her, not with a vampire who could hurt her… a monster like himself.

Mick would be there for Beth as he always had been. And though he loved her as he had never loved anyone before or could ever love anyone again, he would hide those feelings and he would be happy for her, because seeing Beth happy would make him happy too.

Mick thought then of Coraline. It was odd how things turned out. Coraline had turned him into what he was, yet without her so-called wedding gift he would never have met Beth. It was ironic how that had happened. Coraline knew how he felt for Beth and that bothered him, she was crazy, whether she was a vampire or a human… and she was dangerous.

He wasn't sure what would happen with Coraline. At the moment she was still lying in the hospital in a coma, but when she came out would she understand that he didn't love her anymore… or maybe that he never really had loved her? Did she have a cure? He wasn't sure, but even if she did, would he take it? There was so many questions surrounding her that Mick knew he would have to stay somewhat close to Coraline just to find out exactly what would happen. He knew that what he felt for Coraline wasn't real love; it had been, as he had described it to Beth weeks ago, "like a fever". Real love was what he felt for Beth and he would stay close to Coraline for one purpose only, to make sure that she never tried to hurt Beth again.

Looking up Mick realizes he was standing at Rockefeller Center looking upon the Christmas Tree. He smiled to himself realizing that even though he had just made the decision to lock his love for Beth away forever, he knew that just by _knowing_ her this year instead of "watching from afar", this was the best Christmas he had had in a long time, his greatest gift was the gift of Beth's friendship and he would do whatever it took to keep that gift forever!


	3. Chapter 3 The BreakUp

"The Break-up"

Beth's plane landed in L.A. just over an hour ago. Her first stop was at her apartment to drop off her suitcase and throw a few things she thought she might need into her oversized purse. She wasn't sure when she would be back to her apartment, she knew she had a big day ahead of her and though she thought she probably should sleep some she knew her eyes wouldn't shut until she had taken care of everything. Checking to be sure she had a clean shirt and some snacks she checked the clock as she headed for the door… it was 3:00 am and she was headed out for what she knew would be the toughest yet the most relieving day of her life!

She jumped in her car and headed for Buzzwire. She needed to file her final report on Josef's case. They had decided that she would make it look as though Josef had gotten an important call and had left the poker game early that night for an emergency meeting. With the security guard dead, they figured no one would ever know the difference. This would help Josef get back to his "normal" life when he returned to L.A.

She pulled into the parking lot and jumped out. As she entered she saw Maureen at her desk and decided she might want to tell her she was going to need some time off. She knew Mo wouldn't be happy about that, but Beth knew that to settle all that she needed to she was going to need a few personal days without being interrupted by a story! So, she headed into Mo's office.

"Knock, knock", Beth smiled as she entered.

"Well, look who's back from New York City", Mo said looking up with a smile.

"Yeah, I just got back a couple of hours ago. I'm here to do my final report on the Josef Konstantin story. He wasn't even there when the explosion hit!" Beth thought giving Mo this little bit of info might brighten her up and make it easier for her to give Beth some time off.

"What! But they said he was always there on that night playing poker with his friends…" Mo was shocked.

"Yes, and he was earlier in the evening, but he received a phone call and had to leave for an emergency meeting. Mick finally tracked him down and told him the news. Josef was devastated, but needless to say he was glad he had taken that call!" Beth replied with a mischievous smile.

Mo looked at her with a satisfied grin, "Well, I'll say Beth, you are going to turn out to be my star reporter before the year's up! So, what are you going to work on next?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I kinda need a few days off. I've got some personal things I need to take care of and I need to give them my full attention. Things have really gotten messed up over the past few months and I need just a few days to try and sort things out." Beth looked at Mo with a look that told her she desperately needed this time.

Mo wasn't happy about it, Beth could tell that much, but she looked at her and said, "Just how much time Beth? You're on a role, you need to jump into another story and stay hot while you've got the public's attention!"

Beth took a deep breath, "I know, but this is important, I've got to straighten out my life before I can do any justice to a new story. If you could just give me a week…"

Mo looked at her with the look that said, "That's asking too much!" But she knew she could back down a bit and win.

"Ok, how about 3 days… starting Monday. I'll be back in to work on Thursday morning ready to work on whatever story you hand me and I promise I'll do a bang up job on it!" Beth looked at Mo and knew she had won. The other woman was looking at her with a satisfied look.

"Ok, 3 days… you be in here on Thursday ready to go! NO LATER!" Mo smiled before she raised her eyebrow and asked, "This doesn't have anything to do with that P. I. you went to New York with, does it? 'Cause you seem to do a lot better work with him than you ever did with your DA boyfriend! I like him, what's his name, St. John?"

Beth just smiled as she stood to leave, "You know Mo, you can be a little too snoopy sometime!" But from the look on Mo's face, Beth knew she hadn't fooled her one bit!

Smiling to herself and praying that Mick wouldn't stay in New York all week she headed to her own desk to file her report. The report was almost finished, as she had worked on it on the flight home so all she had to do was revise a bit and upload it. She then tidied her desk and made sure anything that needed to be wrapped up was done. Then she headed out of the office to take care of the one of the two most important things she would be doing today!

Glancing at her watch she saw that it was just barely after 7:00 am. She knew Josh would be up, even though it was a Saturday morning. He was an early riser and he should be enjoying his second cup of coffee about now.

She drove to his apartment and parked just down from where she saw Josh's car parked in his regular spot. Pulling the keys from the ignition she found the extra key that Josh had given her for their 2 month anniversary. It had surprised her, as she was always one to take things slow, but Josh had told her he loved her and wanted her to come to his place as often as she wanted… now she wished she had insisted on moving slower. It wasn't long after that when things started to get "cold" between them. It was as if they were moving _through_ a relationship instead of enjoying each other the way they had in the beginning. Slowly she took the key off of the key ring and dropped the rest of the keys into her bag. As she stepped out of the car she slid Josh's key into her coat pocket, she knew she wouldn't need it after today.

Beth stood at Josh's door and took a deep breath before knocking. She waited for him to answer. She hadn't called ahead, she was afraid that he wouldn't take her call after the way she had left things, so she thought surprise would be the best way to do this.

After only a few minutes Josh opened the door. "Beth? What are you doing here? Where's Mick?" He threw this last question in with a bit of attitude, as he leaned to look around her.

"Mick's still in New York, Josh. Why do you think he would be here with me?" She had expected him to be upset and for him to act smart with her, but to think she would bring Mick to his apartment was ridiculous.

"Well, you two seemed to be attached at the hips these days." He said as he looked down at his feet, a bit embarrassed by his quick assumption.

"We work together Josh, I've told you that!" She wasn't even in the apartment yet and she was already getting frustrated with him. "Are you going to let me come in so we can talk?"

Josh looked at her questioningly, "You really came back to L.A. without him?"

"Yes, Josh, we didn't leave things well, we need to talk. I came back so we could do that!" Beth looked at him imploringly.

At this Josh seemed to relax a bit, he stepped aside and motioned for her to enter, "Sure, come on in."

As she stepped through the door Josh smiled down at her. He had taken the "we need to talk" as "we are going to make up", she hated hurting him like this, but she couldn't go on not loving him, he didn't deserve that.

"You want something to drink; I've got coffee made…" Josh seemed to be looking for some way to ease the tension he had caused.

"Sure, coffee would be great." She smiled tightly at him, trying not to be too open.

As Josh poured her coffee she took a seat in the chair, not wanting to give him the chance to sit too close to her, she needed space to do what she was about to do.

He handed her the cup and took a seat on the sofa still looking at her with a question in his eyes.

Beth decided to jump right into it, "Josh, before I left… things didn't go well… we need to…"

Josh cut her off, "Beth, maybe I over reacted. It just seems like you are always with him. I'm sorry, but I just don't trust Mick St. John! I don't like you spending so much time with him!"

This was not going to go well, she had hoped that they could end things and move on without an argument, but she should have known better.

"Josh, please, Mick would never hurt me!" She looked up at him trying to make him understand that she trusted Mick without having to explain further.

"You say that, but Beth, since you've known him you've started to change… and it's not for the better! He has you on dangerous cases, cases you shouldn't even be working on!"

Beth was beginning to feel her temper rise, but she tried to keep things calm, "I take dangerous cases on my own, not because of Mick! For heaven's sake, Josh, Mick has saved my life twice! He wouldn't hurt me or let anyone else hurt me!"

"See, you always defend him. No matter what it is, you always stick up for him. He wouldn't have had to save you if he hadn't gotten you into those cases in the first place!" Josh's temper was rising too.

"Josh, I don't want to argue with you. Please just listen to me." She pleaded with him. She really didn't want to argue. She just wanted to be honest with him.

Josh was standing now and he looked at her with angry eyes, but he didn't interrupt, so she continued.

"Josh, before I left, you asked me to look you in the eyes and tell you that I didn't have feelings for Mick. I can't do that." Beth felt the tears in her eyes and tried to hold them back, she needed to stay strong for this. "Nothing has happened between us. I don't even know if it ever will, but it's not fair to you to keep on the way we've been."

Josh looked stunned. She looked up at him expecting him to say something, to be angry with her, but he just stood there, not saying a word as she continued.

"Josh, I still care for you, but even before Mick came into the picture you have to admit things weren't the same. We were changing."

At this Josh seemed to find his voice, but he didn't know what to say or do, it was obvious, he never thought he'd actually lose Beth.

He came over to her and grabbed her hand, "Beth please, you know we're good together. We can work this out. We love each other! Please, don't let _him_ come between us!"

Beth looked up at Josh, "I did love you Josh, I still do, but I'm not _in love_ with you. We've grown apart, our jobs keep us busy. Things haven't been the same for months, you know that."

Anger came over Josh's face as he let go of her hand and started pacing. "See, Mick St. John did this! A few days away with him and he has you thinking you don't love me! I knew he was trouble, I knew I should never have let you get so close to him!"

At this Beth became furious, she stood so quickly, that Josh looked at her as if she had gone mad! "What exactly do you mean, '_you should never have let me get so close to him_'? You _do not_ own me, you don't tell me what to do, Josh! I am my own person, I do my own thing! I have friends; you don't have the right to dictate who those friends are or what I do with them!" She was yelling now, she couldn't help it, no one told her how to run her life!

"Beth, he's going to ruin your life! Its obvious Mick dictates what you do! You took off to New York with him the second he asked!" His voice had risen also.

Beth came to stand in front of Josh, "You're wrong! You don't even know what you're talking about Josh. Mick did not ask me to go to New York with him. I volunteered to go because I was working on the same case! I just happened to go with a friend!"

Beth took a deep breath to calm her. This was not turning out the way she wanted, she needed to end things and leave before things got a lot worse!

Josh was looking at her with disbelief. When he spoke it was with a much quieter voice also, as if he were defeated. "Beth, please, give us another chance, I love you."

Beth had calmed some, but she was firm when she spoke, "Josh, I know you love me, that's what makes this so hard. I never meant to hurt you, but I can't go on like this. You will always be special to me. What we had was great for a while, but it's over. I can't tell you that I love you, if I did, it would be a lie."

She looked up to see a tear fall from Josh's eye just before he quickly wiped it away and asked so quietly she almost missed it, "Do you love him?"

Beth slowly shook her head as she answered him. "Mick is not the reason I'm ending us, Josh. You deserve someone who will love you and be there for you. You're a great guy, but I can't be that woman. I'm sorry."

Josh's face looked like stone when she looked up at him. His eyes were sad as he said a bit louder, "Beth, you didn't answer my question. _Do you love Mick St. John_?"

Knowing that she couldn't lie to him or leave without answering, she quietly whispered one word as she stood… "Yes."

Beth pulled the key from her coat pocket and laid it on the end table as she turned toward the door to leave.

As she opened the door she heard Josh's last angry words, "I hope he breaks your heart!"


	4. Chapter 4 Mick's Angel

Mick's Angel

Chapter 4

Mick decided to fly out on Sunday night, this would get him back to L.A. around midnight and by the time he drove home and unpacked it would be time for him to hit the freezer. That would mean he would have less time to think about Beth and the fact that she was in the same town as he was.

On the flight back his mind wondered back to the conversation he & Josef had shared that morning as Mick stopped in to check on his friend and tell him he was flying out.

_"She loves you, Mick, I can see it in her eyes when she_

_looks at you and I can hear it in her voice. Beth told me _

_that Sara really loved me. Well, she looks at_

_you the exact same way Sara always looked at me."_

"_Josef, who are you? You've always discouraged my _

_relationship with Beth." Mick had told his friend, who _

_was acting like a stranger._

"_Yeah, I know, but you both know my secret now, so I _

_feel like I need to be honest with you. I don't know what_

_this Josh guy has over her, but if I were you, I wouldn't _

_give up so easily." Josef told him._

_Mick laughed, as much at Josef's words as at the change_

_in his friend here in New York, with Sara, "Josef, I really_

_do appreciate the support and the effort you're putting _

_forth trying to make me feel better, but Beth and I are only_

_friends and that is all we ever will be and I'm OK with that._

_I do love her, but she loves Josh and I want her to be happy,_

_Josh is good for her, he's safe, I'm not."_

_Josef smiled sadly at his friend, "Well, my friend, I sure hope_

_you will be happy with her being with someone else. Beth's a _

_great person, she's kind of grown on me." Seeing the look on_

_Mick's face he added, " Now don't go thinking that I've changed _

_my view on humans! She and Sara are 2 of a kind, they're special,_

_you know. When I get back to L.A. I'll be the same _lovable_ Josef_

_you've always known! And if you ever tell anyone I said these _

_things you will _regret_ it!"_

_Mick smiled at him, "So, when are you coming back to L.A.? _

_Beth's report is out, you're free to reclaim your life."_

_Josef thought for a minute looking at Sara with sad eyes,_

"_I'll stay here through the week, then I'll head back on _

_Friday. I'm not quite ready to leave her yet."_

_Reaching out Mick placed a hand on his friends shoulder in_

_silent understanding, "Then I'll see you on Friday. Call me_

_when you get in and I'll do what I can to help you get things _

_straightened out."_

_Mick left his friend staring at the beautiful woman he had never_

_known about and wished she would wake up so that Josef_

_could stop living a lie and really start to _live

Mick thought about Josef's words, but he knew Beth had returned to L.A. to patch things up with Josh and he hoped that by staying away for the weekend he had helped her, he really did just want her to be happy!

His flight landed at 10:30 pm. Mick grabbed his luggage and headed toward long-term parking where they had left his Mercedes just a few days earlier. He was glad to be home. Some vampires moved around a lot and he knew eventually he would have to move too, but L.A. would always be home.

He tried not to think of Beth as he drove the freeway toward home, but his heart betrayed him. He let his mind wonder one last time to her beautiful smile, soft touch, precious heart and her beautiful blue eyes always filled with mischief. He relived each moment they had spent together, knowing that this would be the last time he would be able to think of her this way.

As he pulled into his apartment parking lot he was too deep in thought to notice the all too familiar car parked 2 spaces down from where he pulled in; the car that had been parked in that spot for over 36 hours. Mick never noticed this as he grabbed his suitcase and headed for the door.

He was still thinking of Beth as he stepped out of the elevator and headed toward the penthouse door. He dug into his coat pocket searching for the remote that would let him into his apartment. Pulling it out and looking up he froze, he couldn't believe what he was seeing… he was hallucinating, he had to be, he was thinking so intently about Beth that he thought he saw her lying in front of his door. Mick shook his head trying to clear his thoughts… he still saw her there… he blinked frantically willing himself to stop daydreaming, but still when he opened his eyes she was there. He took a deep breath and he knew he wasn't dreaming, she really was there, he would know her sweet scent anywhere.

He slowly took a step forward and as he did the light from the hall hit her beautiful blonde hair and she looked like a sleeping angel. She was lying directly in front of his door, almost against it, with her head on her oversized purse and her coat covering her. A bag of chips lay next to her and a bottle of water sat next to it. He wondered just how long she had been there and then he started to worry… why would she be here, camped out at his door?

Slowly and quietly he sat his suitcase down beside the door and knelt beside her. Something must be up, she had her laptop with her, which means she was probably working on a case and needed his help, but why didn't she just call him?

Letting himself stare for just a second longer so he would always remember how she looked he reached up and softly brushed a piece of golden hair from her face. As he did this she stirred a bit, but didn't wake. She smiled as his hand grazed her cheek, as if she knew he was enjoying this, but he knew she was still sleeping, her heart rate told him she was at complete peace.

Wanting to just watch her sleep forever, but knowing that he needed to wake her he leaned in closer and spoke softly so he wouldn't startle her, "Beth… Beth, wake up."

Again, she stirred, but didn't wake. He softly touched her shoulder and gave her a little shake as he spoke to her again, this time a little louder, "Beth… you need to wake up."

Slowly she began to move. Mick leaned away from her not wanting to be so close when she sat up. She lifted both hands and rubbed her sleepy eyes as a child would do, still looking like an angel to Mick. Then she looked around and saw him, her eyes grew large and her smile even larger as she sat up and threw herself at him in a huge bear hug!

Startled and not expecting this at all, Mick nearly tumbled backward, catching himself he lowered them both to the floor as she began to talk in a rush, "Mick, oh Mick, you're home! I was so afraid you wouldn't come back, that you would decide to stay in New York!"

Her reaction worried Mick. Something had to be wrong… she was delirious. She was nearly in his lap and still hugging him extremely tightly as he tried to pull back a bit to look at her face, "Beth, what's wrong? How long have you been waiting here? And why didn't you just call me?"

She let him pull away, but not completely, she stayed on her knees in front of him with her arms resting on his shoulders, not willing to break the contact, "Nothing's wrong Mick, not now, you're back!" She softly ran her hand along his cheek as she smiled at him with watery eyes.

As a natural reflex he leaned into her touch, then suddenly remembering his promise to keep it _just friends _between them, he quickly pulled away, "But Beth, why are you camped out in front of my door? And how long have you been waiting on me?"

"Well, what's today?" she asked as she finally settled back down, but she reached out to take his hand, still not wanting to lose the connection with him.

"It's late Sunday night, almost midnight." Mick said getting more confused and worried by the second.

"Hmmm… well then I guess I've been here a while. I came to see if you were back yesterday morning around 10, but you wasn't, so I thought I'd just wait." She looked down a bit shy as she said this.

Mick was really worried now, he looked at her with curious eyes, "Beth, you've been here for almost 2 days?! Yet, you nothing is wrong?"

"I needed to talk to you…" she whispered.

"You could have called me, Beth, you didn't have to camp out in my hallway." He stood pulling her with him, "Come on, let's get you in here, you've got to be hungry, maybe I can find something for you in here or I'll order in, either way lets get you inside."

Reluctantly she let go of his hand so that she could pick up her purse and other belongings, it did look as though she had been camping out in his hallway, she thought as she noticed her chips and drink still sitting beside the door.

Mick grabbed his suitcase and Beth's laptop as she took her purse and snacks. He again retrieved the remote from his pocket and opened the door, ushering Beth inside. As he closed the door he asked her again, "Beth, why didn't you just call me?"

"I was afraid if I called you wouldn't answer and you might decide not to come back at all, that you would just ignore me." She said as he pointed her toward the sofa.

"Beth, what made you think I wouldn't come back to L.A.? And why would I ignore your call, I always answer when you call." Mick asked as they sat down together.

"Not always…" Beth's voice was sad as she said this and he knew she was remembering when had ignored her just after she had fed him in the desert.

He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, "OK, but I haven't ignored you since the desert… I learned my lesson." She looked up at him and he smiled.

He wasn't sure what it was he saw in her eyes, but whatever it was it took his breath away. He quickly looked away and withdrew his hand from hers as he stood up. He needed to put some distance between them before the locks & bolts started flying off of those memories again!

"Beth, you still haven't told me what was so important that you had to wait outside my door for 2 days!" He asked beginning to pace.

She stood and walked over to where he was. She didn't touch him, but he stopped his pacing at the serious look on her face, "I wanted to apologize for leaving you alone in New York. I wanted to stay, but I needed to take care of things with Josh… and I needed time to think… about all that had happened there."

Mick smiled down at her, "Beth you don't have to apologize. You did the right thing, I understand. You needed to get back and patch things up with Josh. I nearly caused you to lose him, that's why I stayed a few extra days… I wanted to give you time to work things out without me getting in the way. It's all OK." He was trying to keep his true feelings hidden, but really wasn't sure if he was being successful or just simply looking uncomfortable. Josef was right; this was not going to be easy!

Beth looked up at him, she looked a little bit nervous, but he saw the determined spark in her eyes and for some reason that confused him even more.

She took a step closer to him and when she spoke it was with a strong voice, "I broke up with Josh, Mick. I don't love him anymore, I haven't loved him for a while now."

Mick's face froze… had she just said what he thought? No, of course not, he reasoned with himself, his ears were simply playing tricks on him… letting him hear what he wanted so desperately to hear… she had _not_ said that she _broke up with Josh_…

"Mick? Did you hear what I just said?" she looked at him with worry in her eyes as she reached out and touched his face again.

Her touch snapped him back to reality and he reacted by stumbling backward as he responded, "Beth, why? I thought you came back to _fix_ things with Josh… not _end_ them?"

"You shouldn't assume things, Mick St. John," she said, smiling at him, "and you should listen closer… I just said 'I didn't leave things well with him', not that I wanted to _fix_ them!"

"Yeah, but Beth, Josh is good for you, you've been together for over a year…" Mick was really reeling from this news, he didn't know how to react, this he never expected! "If he hates me that much, I'll move… I'll get out of your life. Josh loves you, he'll make you happy Beth… _I want you to be happy_!" Mick backed away another few steps and ran his fingers through his hair.

Beth looked at him confused, "Mick, I know Josh loves me, but I don't love him, I haven't for a long time… long before you came into my life. We've just been existing together, I should have broken it off a long time ago, but I kept putting it off, thinking we could work through it, but on that plane ride home I finally figured out why we couldn't work it all out… it was because _I_ _didn't want to_! And NO! You will not be moving, because if you do you'll have a blonde Buzzwire reporter tailing you!"

As she said this last part she walked over to him again. He was looking at her as if her hair had suddenly turned green and he didn't seem to want to be close to her, what was wrong with him. She couldn't figure him out, he was acting like a scared child!

Mick's mind was racing, she had broken up with Josh and she was coming onto him, but he couldn't, he was dangerous, he moved again, walking to the kitchen to stand behind the island. He needed space.

Beth followed him slowly, it looked as though she was going to have a hard time with him, but she was determined! "Mick, what is wrong with you? Do I stink or something? You keep running from me?" she said in hurt tone.

He took a deep breath, placing both hands on the counter and looking up at her, "No Beth, you most definitely do not stink… I just don't understand why? Josh is good for you, he's safe, you're good together. The closer you get to me the closer you are to danger!" He looked at her, pleading with her to see that he was right. He needed her to accept this and he was doing his best to keep that thin thread of hope from rising in his heart!

She looked at him seriously as she walked to stand across from him on the other side of the island, "Mick, I don't love Josh and why is being near you dangerous? You have saved me more than once, so it seems to me that would make me safer to be with you than to be without you…" in a whisper she added, "I know I'm happier with you than I ever will be without you…"

As she said that last part she reached over and placed her hands on top of his. He was powerless with her touching him… he couldn't move, all he could do was stare at this beautiful woman.

Slowly she turned his hands over and placed her small delicate hands into the palms of his larger, stronger ones. As he looked down and saw their hands like this the hope began to grow, against his will.

Beth quietly began to talk again, "Mick, I wanted to stay with you, but I needed some time to think about all that had taken place. I realized as I was reading Sara's diary that her words were my thoughts… my deepest desires…. You say it can't work between us, but I know that we _can __make_ it work! Seeing Sara didn't scare me, Mick, but it did give me a lot to think about. I saw how Josef was hurting… I would never forgive myself if I ever put you in that kind of pain! But Mick, I want to be with you… love you… forever. I know you think there might be a cure and that would be great, but if there isn't I'm more than ready to be like you." She looked up at him lovingly as she wrapped her hands tightly around his.

"NO Beth! I will NOT turn you!" He tried to pull his hands away but she refused to let go, "Beth, this _can't_ work, I'm a _Monster_! You, you're an _angel_, you _can't_ want to be like _me_!"

"YES, Mick, I CAN and for the LAST TIME YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER!" Letting go of his hands and rounding the island to stand beside him she took his face in her hands and made him turn to look at her.

What he saw in her eyes took his breath away, she was angry, there was fire in them, but shining through all of that was love… a love so strong that he couldn't look any longer. He tried to turn away, but she held his face steady, so he closed his eyes, he couldn't look into her beautiful eyes with all of that love showing through, without unlocking his heart!

"Mick _look_ at me!" she pleaded, as tears filled her eyes. "I love you and I don't want you to _ever _call yourself a Monster again, you're my Guardian Angel! Why won't you let me love you? I know you love me… you wanted it in New York, why are you fighting me so hard now?"

She was crying now, hurt and confusion evident in her beautiful blue eyes. Slowly he looked at her, "Beth, I won't deny that in New York I wanted to be with you, but it's just not _safe_. I do love you. I love you so much… so much that I know that I am dangerous to you! I don't want to hurt you!"

Beth turned away from him with her face in her hands, her heart was breaking, Josh was getting his wish, Mick was refusing her… he was breaking her heart…

Mick watched her, it was killing him to see her cry, knowing it was his fault, but she would see he was right. As he watched it took all of his strength not to go to her and hold her, but that would only make things worse.

Beth stood there, she could feel him staring at her, he loved her, but he was going to just walk away. Suddenly, she made a decision, she was not going to give up, she would not stand there and lose her soul mate, the only man she could ever love! He had admitted he loved her, he'd said it just minutes ago. She would not leave until she made him see that by not letting her love him and by trying so hard "not to hurt her", he was killing her!

She straightened and turned to look at him, determination on her tear-streaked face. "Mick, I love you and I'm going to tell you that until you see we _can_ work! Right now you are hurting me more than anyone ever could physically! I envy Sara… at least Josef loved her enough to try to turn her so they could be together… I don't want you to ever hurt like he does, but right now I'd give anything to be in Sara's place because she isn't hurting, she's peaceful, her heart's in one piece, not shattered into bits! And most of all, the man she loves is there with her, still loving her after 55 years!" A tear slid down her face as she finished.

Mick couldn't believe his ears… she wanted to be like Sara? That was better than how she felt now? Just the thought of her wanting to be there like that… It broke him, he moved to her and wrapped her in his arms, "Beth, please don't say that! I couldn't stand to see you like that! I just… I just want you to be safe. I couldn't live if you were lying there like that." He was crying now too, what Beth had said was worse than a stake through his heart.

Slowly Beth wrapped her arms around him and held him tight to her, "Mick, I am safe… right here… _in your arms_. That's the safest place for me to be. It's the _only_ place I've ever felt safe! _Let me love you_… We'll look for a cure for you to become human, but if we can't find one we'll do research, we'll make sure that what happened to Sara doesn't happen to me… we're a _good team_, remember… we can do this… we can make _us_ work!" she leaned back just enough to look into his eyes, when she did she knew she had him, he was hers, the only thing she saw in those wonderful eyes of his was love!

Mick couldn't help it; the locks fell off of his heart as he lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that left them both breathless and smiling. As he pulled away he whispered, "I love you, Beth… I'll love you forever!" He held her close, knowing that Josef was right, he could _never_ have been happy if Beth was with someone else!

As they stood there, simply holding each other and reveling in the knowledge that they had each found their _one_ love, he knew he cherished Beth both as his friend, but soon he would cherish her as much more… Beth was the love of his life, he had never felt anything this strong for anyone… not even Coraline… he knew now that what they had was no where near love.

Mick smiled as he breathed in the scent of Beth, he would never let anyone hurt her, he would be sure she was safe, if he had to keep her right here in his arms forever, then so be it, he could think of a lot worse ways to spend eternity!

Suddenly, through the peaceful silence Mick's phone rang… he pulled away from Beth just enough to pull it from his pocket and look at the I.D…. it was the hospital….


	5. Chapter 5 Locks, Love & Surprises

**Spoilers through Episode 10, ****Sleeping Beauty****  
****_Disclaimer: I know it's been FOREVER since I've updated, but I still haven't figured out a way to claim ownership on Mick... CBS still has all the rights and all that stuff... guess I'll just have to rely on my imagination to get me over it!_**_****_

**_Author's Note: Again, I apologize for the LONG delay in updating, but personal situations come first and I've been writing, just haven't been able to get it typed up, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter... please remember to leave comments... hopefully I'll be able to get the next few chapters up by the end of the week!_**_**  
**_**_ENJOY! _**

**Locks, Love & Surprises**  
Chapter 5

Mick stared at the screen, he knew he needed to answer it, but at the moment he just didn't want to.

Beth saw the look on Mick's face as he stared at the phone and she began to worry. Who would be calling him that would cause his face to fall so quickly.

He saw Beth looking at him with that worried crease across her face, he didn't like for her to worry and he didn't want to keep her in the dark on anything, so he held the phone so she could see it as he said, "It's the hospital, there must be a change in Coraline." But he didn't answer it. The call went to voicemail and Mick returned the phone to his pocket.

As she saw the screen she tried to hide the disappointment, she hadn't thought of Coraline since they had started talking. She stepped away from Mick as she whispered, "You'd better call them back, she may be asking for you." She didn't want him to see her face.

Mick saw the look of sadness on her beautiful face just as she turned away from him. He slowly walked up and placed his hands on her shoulders, "Beth what's wrong?" He felt her tremble at his touch as he lowered his hands to her waist and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He needed to reassure her that Coraline's hold was broken on him.

"Mick, you need to call them, she was your wife, you need to check on her." She was glad her voice sounded stronger than she felt. She knew Mick loved her, she had seen it in his eyes only moments ago, but he had a connection with Coraline, she wasn't only his ex-wife, she was also his sire, and though she would fight for him, she wanted him to know she understood that connection.

Slowly Mick turned Beth to face him, "Beth, look at me," he placed a finger under her chin and raised her gaze to meet his, "I love you, I _do not_ love Coraline. After what I feel for you, I'm pretty sure I _never did_ love her. Yes, we are connected, but not in that way, she was my sire and what I now know was an infection, nothing more. I need to talk to her to find out about this cure, but that's not going to change the way I feel about you." He smiled at her, "Beth Turner, you have unlocked the bars I have been keeping around my heart for 55 years, you've destroyed the locks, my heart belongs to you, no one else has the right to it, OK?"

Beth smiled and leaned into him, "Mick, are you sure? Because I love you and I'll fight for you, I won't let her have you!"

Mick leaned in and kissed her passionately. As he withdrew, he whispered, "You won't have to fight, my love, I'm all yours, that's a promise, she has no hold on me anymore. You took care of that with your first kiss."

After that kiss and the promise Beth felt her legs go weak, if she hadn't been encased in Mick's warm arms she felt sure she would have hit the floor. She hugged him tighter before pulling away, "OK, we could be here all night if we keep this up, which would be fine with me, but if she has a cure we need to talk to her."

"Beth, wait," Mick pulled her back to him, holding her hands in his as he looked at her nervously, "I want you to stay here."

"Stay here!? No! I'm going with you!" Beth's voice rose, no way was she going to stay there and let him go see Coraline alone!

Mick laughed and hugged her close again kissing her on the top of her head.

Beth pushed against his chest, "Mick, what is so funny? I'm going with you to the hospital! Now, call them back and see what's going on!"

"Beth, I know you're going with me, I wouldn't think of asking you to stay behind. I want you there with me, we're a team, right?" he asked smiling down at her lovingly.

Beth looked up at him confused, "But… but you said you wanted me to stay here…?"

"I meant, I want you here, not somewhere else," suddenly thinking he may be moving too fast he began to backtrack, "that is if you want to stay here… you... you don't have to."

Beth suddenly realized what he was saying, he was so cute when he was nervous, like a teenager who was asking her to the Prom, but knowing she wouldn't go… she smiled up at him, "You mean you want me to move in with you… to stay here… for good?"

Mick took a step back and looked at her, it had been a long time and he knew he was doing this all wrong, but she was smiling at him, so maybe he could salvage it, "Yes, if you want to… I know this is fast, and you weren't even living with Josh after a year, so if you don't want to, I'll understand…. I just…"

Beth silenced him with a kiss that made fireworks ignite in both of them, when they finally had to come up for air she touched his face and whispered, "Oh Mick, Yes! I want to… I was just surprised is all… I didn't think you would want me to move into your space."

He leaned down and kissed her again, "Well, I've wanted you for so long Beth, and now that I've got you, I don't want to waste any time, I want to spend ever second I can with you. If that call hadn't come in I'd already have be showing you what I want to do with all of our spare time. I wouldn't mind your place, but I doubt you have a freezer for me to sleep in… though I don't have bed, we can fix that because I'm hoping I'll be spending more time in a bed than I ever have," after saying all this he leaned down to place another kiss on her beautiful lips, "and I kinda like being able to kiss you whenever I want to."

Beth snuggled closer to him, holding him tight, "I don't mind your place, it's great, and we'll need to get that bed situation taken care of soon, because I know you're gonna be spending more in the bed, or on the sofa… or this kitchen counter looks fine to me… if I have anything to say about it!" She leaned back and smiled at him seductively, "oh, and you are more than welcome to kiss me anytime you want!" She reached up and soundly kissed his smiling lips.

They stood that way for a while before Beth released him and stepped back, "Mick, you had better call the hospital, something may be wrong, but we'll definitely pick this up later, but right now we need to see your ex about that cure!"

"Yeah, I'll call them while you fix something to eat. There should be something in the fridge for you." Mick kissed her cheek as she turned to walk away and he pulled his phone out to call the hospital.

The number he had connected straight to the nurse's desk on Coraline's floor, so he waited for them to pick up.

Phone "Hello, third floor nurse's desk, Sandra speaking."

Mick took a deep breath, "Yeah, this is Mick St. John, I had a call from you about Cora… Morgan Vincent," he had almost called her Coraline.

Phone "Oh, yes, Mr. St. John. We were hoping you might be able to help us, actually."

Mick noticed Beth trying to hear what was being said and immediately put the phone on speaker so she would hear what the nurse had to say, before he replied, "Ok, I'll do what I can…" he looked up at Beth confused, what could they need his help for?

Phone "Well, you see, Miss Vincent has disappeared. We can't find her anywhere. We were hoping you might know what happened to her…"

Mick looked up as Beth gasped. He knew Beth was thinking the same thing as he was, Coraline was no longer human, she was a vampire again… and she was missing… this could not be good!


End file.
